PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has strongly condemned the recent deadly assault in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which reports suggest victims were deliberately separated before being executed.
He described the incident as an act of "calculated and inhuman cruelty", underscoring the brutality of the attack.
"Such violence has no place in any civilised society," Anwar stated in a message issued on behalf of all Malaysians.
The Prime Minister extended heartfelt sympathies to those affected by the attack, saying: "We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. We pray for the swift and full recovery of those injured."
Calling for calm and unity in the wake of the tragedy, Anwar stressed the importance of not allowing acts of terror to breed further division.
"In moments of tragedy, wisdom and restraint are essential. We must not allow such acts of terror to deepen division. Instead, let us reaffirm our shared commitment — in the region and beyond — to peace, justice, and human dignity."
He also urged the international community to support efforts in holding the perpetrators accountable.
"We call upon the international community to support efforts to identify any remaining perpetrators and ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice — and that such atrocities are neither repeated nor rewarded," Anwar said, in arecent Facebook post.
Anwar’s response came a day after the attack in the Baisaran Valley in the Pahalgam area of the scenic, Himalayan federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The region has been at the heart of India-Pakistan animosity for decades and the site of multiple wars, insurgency and diplomatic standoffs.
The dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national and at least 17 people were also injured in the shooting that took place on Tuesday.
It was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in Kashmir, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency, opens new tab has waned in recent years.
A little-known militant group, the "Kashmir Resistance," claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 "outsiders" had been settled in the region, spurring a "demographic change".
Indian security agencies said Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, is a front for Pakistan-based militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Pakistan denies accusations that it supports militant violence in Kashmir and says it only provides moral, political and diplomatic support to the insurgency there.
"We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement earlier on Wednesday. "We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery."
In Kashmir, security forces rushed to the Pahalgam area and began combing the forests there in search of the attackers. Police also released sketches of three of the four suspected attackers, who were dressed in traditional long shirts and loose trousers and one of them was wearing a bodycam, one security source said.
There were about 1,000 tourists and about 300 local service providers and workers in the valley when the attack took place, he said. - April 25, 2025
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